


Four Passages to Australia

by misura



Category: Alliance-Union - C. J. Cherryh
Genre: Book: Downbelow Station, Community: fic_on_demand, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-19
Updated: 2010-12-19
Packaged: 2017-10-13 18:55:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/140571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four moments between Tom Edger and Conrad Mazian.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four Passages to Australia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [azarias](https://archiveofourown.org/users/azarias/gifts).



> originally posted January 2007

.01

"When I say 'Australia', what do you think?" Mazian asks, and he seems pleased about something, some secret only he knows. Edger's used to that expression by now - he knows it doesn't mean anything.

Mazian looked at him in just that way before Edger checkmated him, thus, by the rules of their game, gaining not only victory but also the dominant position for tonight, the right to decide what they'll be doing, and who will be doing what to whom.

Still, it never does to underestimate Mazian. Edger considers the question, weighing it against every scrap of rumor he's gathered over the past week. Nothing obvious comes up.

"Kangaroos?" Edger tries. Girls tend to tell him he's cute and funny, not handsome. That word, they reserve for Mazian, which is strange, because Mazian is one of the most average-looking men Edger knows. It's only when you get to know him that you realize there's more to him than meets the eye.

(Later, this will change, even if to Edger, what goes on inside of Mazian's head will always be more amazing than the part of his thoughts that Mazian speaks out loud, even if he can only guess at the first, most of the time.)

"Guess again," Mazian says.

 

.02

It's hard to feel outrage at someone who's betrayed you, when you've never actually seen that person. Likewise, Tom Edger, captain of the Australia, finds it hard to work himself up to any kind of indignation at the way Earth has rewarded its fleet for its many years of loyal service. Personally, he's never been loyal to any of Earth's causes or ideals - he's been loyal to Mazian, and Mazian has returned that loyalty.

Naturally, he knows things will get more difficult, more complicated from now on. He's heard that Mallory, crazy bitch that she is, has taken to snagging personnel as easy as supplies, like a human being is, in the end, just another accomodity. He has no intention of following her example - he prefers his new crew-members a little less liable to make trouble and get into a fatal accident of some sort.

Edger has never been the strategist Mazian is; he's a tactician, his strength lies in the ability to win battles, not wars. Chess-games are rather like battles, he thinks; if Mazian holds an edge there, it's because Mazian always holds an edge, no matter what. Mazian even holds an edge when he doesn't, simply because he can make people _believe_ he holds an edge. It's one of his talents.

When Edger beats Mazian at chess, he thinks it's because Mazian wants to feel what defeat is like, every now and then. Neither of them can afford the real thing, not anymore - but on the chessboard, they can pretend it doesn't matter who wins or loses, because they both get something out of it in the end. Neither of them begrudges the other their victory, since Edger knows Mazian is the superior strategist of the two of them, the one who keeps things moving, and Mazian knows he knows.

 

.03

There have been moments when Edger has doubted Mazian's decisions. They are few and far in between, and remarkably many of them have something to do with Signy Mallory - who'd doubtlessly take great pleasure in hearing that, if Edger were ever to exchange more words with her than absolutely necessary. Mallory's a bit of a stranger to Edger - he doesn't understand her one tenth as well as he understands Mazian, and Mazian, he understands only half the time.

When Edger can't understand Mazian though, he trusts him. Mallory, it's become clear to Edger, does not. She doesn't trust _him_ either, but that's not too big a thing; she knows he and Mazian are lovers, and to Mallory, that means Edger's earned his position on his stomach. It'd be funny, if it wasn't also so damn stupid and inconvenient. The Norway's a good ship, after all - and Mallory is a good captain, in the sense that she's good at strategy (if not at tactics) and keeps her crew sharp, even if Edger has no intention of ever telling her that, and doesn't think she'd believe he was sincere if he did.

The problem with Mallory is, Edger thinks, that she's too obsessed with sex. Sure, he and Mazian are having it, but that's just a result of their closeness, not the cause of it. Mallory sleeps with her crewmembers - which is bad for discipline, according to the handbook, although it seems nobody's bothered to inform Mallory's crew of that fact, judging by the way they act. That should clue her in, really - the desire for human closeness, however brief, is part of all of them out here, even Mazian.

 

.04

Their first chess-game after Signy's either turned traitor or shown her true colors, depending on which motivations you want to give her, Edger feels sure he will lose. He's distracted, for one, and a little shaken; for all the personal dislike between him and Mallory, he never expected to ever actually face the Norway as an enemy. He knew she chafed under Mazian and Mazian's lack of information about his strategy and his goals, but he didn't expect she'd ever go this far.

Edger's fairly sure Mazian didn't expect her to go this far either. Mazian's not the sort of man to put sex before power, and Mallory's made it abundantly clear that she feels it's the fact that he and Mazian are lovers that gives Edger an unfair advantage, putting him in the position of Mazian's second without Mallory being able to oust him by besting him in some manner.

Mazian, naturally, shows no sign of being surprised or disappointed or even annoyed. The only time when Edger can read him is during sex, when Mazian is just a little bit rougher with him than usual, if he's annoyed, or, on the contrary, taking things slow, if he's pleased about something.

Today, Edger expects he'll be sore tomorrow. He'll still be sore when Mazian calls him again, with some new strategy, new plans and new tactics, for which Mallory and the Norway won't be needed. Possibly, they'll include some sort of revenge, of pay-back, but perhaps Mazian will simply shrug and say he wishes Mallory much luck with the Union. Edger suspects she's going to need it.

Edger barely pays attention to the game, moving his pieces with the barest of thoughts - that is to say: the barest of thoughts for their impact on the game. He's never been able to beat Mazian at chess; all his victories here are granted to him by Mazian, which is fine by Edger. Most of the victories he's won off the chessboard have been granted to him by Mazian as well, starting with his command of the Australia. Besides, unlike Mallory, Edger prefers for his partners to submit to him because they want to, because that's their kink for the night, not because they're scared of him, or because he's won where they lost. Edger may not have the kind of rigid ethics that Mallory does, but he also doesn't have her vices, her need for total control even over those she's having sex with.

The game seems to take a long time - longer than usual. Edger considers speeding it up by putting a few extra holes in his defense, but there's a difference between not playing to win and cheating to lose, and neither of them's ever crossed that border. It would make the ritual empty, somehow.

"Check-mate," Mazian says, as soon as Edger's moved his pawn, adding before Edger can blink, "I lose."

Edger stares, first at the board, which is disappointingly devoid of clues, then at Mazian's face, which is much the same. His throat has gone very dry suddenly.


End file.
